The Forge
by Ayama15
Summary: We've all seen the war machines of the Fire Nation. Now, here is the story of the boy behind them. Slightly AU, please R&R.
1. Chapter 1: Tai

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, or any of the characters/storylines/settings/Zutara hints(grrrr….Why? Why must it be so obvious? Curse you writers!) created by Mike or Bryan. I don't own Tai either. I suppose technically my brother does. I did however create Ayama and all her hot-shotiness, even if I don't technically own her. God that took a long time. Okay, on with the show!

Part 1

Tai was taking apart a clock.

He wished that the world were more like that clock. With some talent, some understanding of the underlying principles, you could put together a clock, and it would run perfectly (like clockwork, in fact). But with the world, well, with the world even the best and the brightest might not be up to the challenge that was everyday life. And though Tai was undoubtedly among the best and brightest, his life was far from everyday. Even if he had been willing to remain a cog in the great machine that was the Fire Nation, to render his Lord's dreams of conquest in steel and mechanism, his young life would not have been ordinary.

Tai had left his homeland after coming across one of the few copies of the writings Avatar Roku that had escaped destruction. He had been looking for a manuscript on the properties of high-pressure steam, but he could not ignore the wisdom in the Avatar's words. They convinced him that, just maybe, creating the weapons that had allowed the armies and fleets of the Fire Nation to conquer vast expanses of the world with unprecedented speed was unethical. Although almost anyone else in the Fire Nation these days would have just shrugged their shoulders and continued with their life, Tai was unable to forget what he had discovered. So it wasn't long before he hid aboard a troop transport bound for the Earth Kingdom, turned himself in to the authorities, and offered to do for them what he had done for the Fire Nation.

And they had been so receptive, he thought as he replaced the clocks innards and set it back on the table where he took his meals. So far, he had been shuffled back and forth between various Earth Kingdom agencies and bureaus, none of whom wanted to have the responsibility of having a firebender, even a 12-year old one, on the books. He had had few resources and less time with which to produce anything useful against the Fire Nation. He had just barely had time to finish this clock, which, although a fine piece of work, had limited offensive potential. But now, he hoped, he had reached the end of his long trip through the bureaucracy, and he would finally get the chance to make up for all the damage he had done the world. He hoped.


	2. Chapter 2: Ayama

Disclaimer: I do not own anything besides Ayama. I believe I have already made this clear. However, I don't want any person getting funny ideas and sueing me. (You know the lawyers are just waiting to pounce) Please send all your complaints to someone else. Zutara fan letters should be addressed to Mike and Bryan, since it's all their fault for writing that episode that I can no longer say the title of without grimacing. I don't think I have to tell you which. Thank you, and goodnight. 

Notes from me: This was the first part I worte, so it's kinda bad. Please don't make fun of me.

Part 2

Ayama strode down the hallway toward The Cavern. That weirdo Fire Nation kid, what was his name? Kai? Gai? Whatever. No one was supposed to know he even existed, so it didn't matter what his name was. Anyway, he wanted her to test run some kind of tank he'd built. Ayama was a test pilot, a hot shot, the best in the business. Actually, she was the only one in the business. For the past year, Aya had been test piloting all kinds of tanks and machines in the Fire Nation on an assignment for the Earth Kingdom military. Then last month her superiors had pulled her out for no apparent reason. She figured now that it was so she could test Tai's machines. But even if she was the only one, she was still an amazing pilot.

Aya arrived at the huge double doors and slammed them open, scaring the little kid half to death. She cracked her knuckles and stretched.

"Okay kid," she said. "Let's get down to business. Show me the ignition, the accelerator, and the brake and I'll take care of the rest." The kid still looked shocked. Then he recovered and a scowl crept onto his face.

"My name's Tai. Use it." A grin spread across Ayama's face. She punched him playfully in the arm.

"I like you, Tai. You've got spunk. While we're talking about using names, call me Aya." Tai winced and grabbed his arm. Aya jogged over to the tank. It was a little detailed for her taste, too many ornaments. And they weren't even the useful kind; they were just curlicues and things like that. In her experience, the only thing ornaments did was crunch when you hit walls.

"Hey Tai?" she called, inspecting the rest of the tank and seeing the same thing everywhere.

"Yes?" he asked, walking over.

"What's with all the pretty stuff? Didn't the Fire Lord let you decorate the tanks back in flame town? Or maybe you where trying to impress a girl back home? Oh Tai!" she teased, folding her hands and batting her long eyelashes, trying to play the impressed girlfriend. It was hard to pull off, since Aya's long brown braid wasn't exactly neat and tidy, and her nose had a splotch of oil on it, but she did it.

"You made the tank just for me? And you named it for me too? Oh you shouldn't have!" Tai scowled again.

"For your information, the guy in charge here made me do it. I didn't want to, because it adds unnecessary weight and throws off the balance, but I had to. And I don't have a girlfriend." Aya just grinned.

"Whatever you say buddy. Ready to test this bad boy?" She climbed up the side and vaulted into the cockpit. The controls felt good in her hands. Nothing could stop her now.


	3. Chapter 3: A Problem

Disclaimer: I wish you people would just get over this. You already know I only own Aya. Do we have to go through this every time? Curse you lawyers!

Part 3

Tai surveyed what was left of the obstacle course after Ayama had taken the tank through it. There wasn't much to see, just a lot of twisted metal and shattered rock. And a collection of broken trimmings that had snapped off the tank during the test run. Tai grinned. Maybe that would teach that ridiculous old general to tell him his business. They barely had time for test runs, let alone the opportunity to make things look pretty. He headed over to the tank, motioning to the technicians to follow him. They attempted to comply and stay as far away from him as possible at the same time. Ayama was climbing out of the hatch.

"How does she handle?" Tai asked.

"Pretty good." she answered. "The ride's a little rough. Could you loosen up the springs?"

"I could."

Tai and the rest of the engineers began to inspect the tank for damage. He had to watch them carefully to make sure they didn't slip up. They were almost more of a hindrance than a help. He hadn't had time to train them to do much besides assist him with routine tasks.

"I was going to put this thing through some tests to see how tough it was, but I guess I don't need to." Tai remarked, indicating the broken parts that the engineers had piled up into a mound about knee height. "I can't imagine it getting any more beat up than this."

"Hey. They told me to test it." said Ayama, shrugging. "By the way, what does this thing supposed to do?" she said, rapping her knuckles against the tank's hull.

"Huh?" said Tai absently.

"I mean, does it have some kind of weapon? Does it carry soldiers?" asked Ayama again.

"I, um—I haven't made a weapon for it yet." said Tai, looking around furtively.

"Oh." said Ayama. "Well. You better make one. Can't you just use the same thing you used for Fire Nation tanks?"

"What I used for fire nation tanks was firebenders. And we have something of a shortage here." Tai said, leaning up against the hull between the spiked wheels. "And earthbenders aren't nearly as effective when they're not on the ground. So."

"Huh. That's a problem." said Ayama. She turned to go. "See ya."

Tai turned back to the tank, where the technicians were trying to figure out which way the screws were supposed to be turned on a piece of loose plating.

"Yeah." He sighed. "Problem."


	4. Chapter 4: Who needs an ass kicking?

Disclaimer: Ayama is mine! All mine! Mwahahaha! In your face!

Notes from the Author's brother: My sister is crazy. She is now on medication.

Notes from the Author: I see floaty bunnies!

Part 4

Ayama headed to the mess hall after the test run. The kid was good. She hadn't had that much fun since, well, since she had been piloting for the Fire Nation on her assignment. And those machines were probably Tai's inventions too. She grabbed her usual from the food counter. One plate of reheated roast duck, a bowl of rice and a cup of jasmine tea. She headed over to her usual table.

Aya was halfway through her dinner and halfway through her thoughts when her pupils showed up. The guy who ran the place had 'commanded' her to teach five kids the art of piloting. They weren't that bad, but they weren't that good either.

"Hey Aya!" Junai called. Aya waved.

"Hey Jun! You practice that maneuver I assigned you?" Junai grimaced. Junai was one of the better ones, she learned fast, but had a few bad habits that Aya hadn't been able to break her of yet. The five of them grabbed their plates and slid into their seats by Aya. Niuma insisted on sitting next to her again. Ugh. The sixteen year old obviously had some kind of crush on her. It was extremely annoying.

"So guys," Kicho said, leaning over his bowl of noodles. "I here there's a new mechanic in town. Straight from the Fire Nation." Tiya gasped.

"Are you serious?" she asked in disbelief. Kicho nodded.

"The old man is keeping him under wraps. I just found out about it this morning, and you know how connected I am." he confided. Aya snorted.

"Connected? More like sneaky." Suddenly the door opened and Tai walked in. Everyone went quiet. Then the room filled with whispers. Ranju looked over his shoulder and then leaned low over the table.

"I hear he's a fire bender. I don't trust him," he whispered. Tai had gotten his food and was looking for a place to sit. He started walking to an empty table at the back of the room. Niuma twitched his hand and used his earth bending to pull a rock about the size of his head out of the floor. Before Aya could stop him, he lobbed it at Tai. It hit the engineer square in the back and he tripped and spilled all of his food on the floor. "Go back where you came from, fire bender!" Niuma yelled. Everyone laughed as Tai tried to stand up and slipped in his tea. Aya stood up and her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides. Her knuckles were turning white, exposed by her black fingerless gloves. Everyone got quiet real fast. Most of the people there were older than the 14-year old, but she was undeniably in charge.

"Stand up Niuma," she said in a low, menacing tone. He hesitated.

"GET UP NOW!" she yelled, losing her controlled calmness. Niuma stood up.

Aya cracked her knuckles threateningly. Then she punched Niuma in the face so hard and so fast no one saw it. One second Niuma was cringing, waiting for his punishment, and the next he was flat on the floor moaning and clutching his nose. Aya slowly and deliberately stepped over him and walked over to Tai, who was staring wide-eyed at her. She held out her hand and he grabbed it and stood up. She stomped on the ground, his tray and cup shot up to his waist level, and he grabbed them. Aya turned around to face everyone.

"If anything like this happens again, you'll have to deal with me. Understand?" Everyone nodded quickly. Aya cracked her knuckles again and threw her braid over her shoulder. "I'm glad we had this talk."


	5. Chapter 5: Solutions

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. I do however own a fine collection of Avtar DVDs, which I plan to watch today, since I am home sick. Pity me.

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Part 5 

Tai thought long and hard about what to do about the incident in the mess. He decided he would make sure that what happened to him there would never happen again. For most people, this would probably have taken the form of beating Niuma into a fine paste, which Tai was certainly capable of. But that wasn't the way Tai looked at the world. To his mind, it wasn't that he had been humiliated that was the problem, but that he had been caught off guard. So he built a machine.

The machine was a hollow dome, big enough for a man to stand inside. There were a series of tubes, facing inward, that were lined with small pellets. Bursts of compressed air fired pellets at random at the person standing inside. He got a lot of bruises those first few times. But he got better.

He still couldn't figure out what the tank's weapon would be. He came up with a number of designs, but none of them were the right ones. There was the ballista, but it couldn't pierce the thick hulls of Fire Nation vehicles, as Tai well knew. There was the catapult, but that was cumbersome and useless in close combat. There was the lightning-thrower, but that didn't work so well just yet. And it was nearly impossible to stop the electrical arcs from rebounding on the tank itself.

And then there was the steam rocket. It consisted of a tapered cylinder, with three fins spaced evenly around the rearmost segment. Inside its steel shell, there was a chamber containing a small amount of steam under incredibly high pressure. It was vented out the back to propel the weapon, and on impact, the remaining steam was released in a powerful explosion. It was fast, potent, didn't rely on fire, and had a range greater than all but the biggest catapults. Tai decided it had a future.


	6. Chapter 6: Very good, young grasshopper

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar? Why didn't you tell me? I've been laboring under that misconception for years!

A/N: This part is really short. Please don't kill me.

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Part 6

About a week after the scene in the mess, Ayama was walking down the corridor to the huge cavern where she and her pupils had their lessons when she heard a hissing sound coming from the room at the end of the hall. The door was open a crack and she pushed it all the way open. There was a metal dome inside, covered in valves and gauges, and the hissing was coming from it. She was about to continue down the hall when Tai poked his head out of a hatch on the side.

"Oh, hi Ayama," he said evenly. "What are you doing here?" he asked as he climbed out. Ayama grinned.

"I was just on my way to class. Does this do what I think it does? For the reason I think it does?" She inspected the exterior of the dome, running her hand over it. Tai hesitated, and then replied.

"Depends. What do you think it does?" Ayama raised an eyebrow.

"Oh come on Tai, it's kinda obvious. You made this so you could build up your reaction time. It's a good idea. Better than smacking people around." This time it was Tai's turn to raise an eyebrow, remembering the scene in the mess. Ayama grinned again.

"That's just my way of doing things. You however, obviously have to rely on brainpower." Tai started to protest, but Ayama held a finger to her lips to silence him. "But you are getting better. It was a good idea." While she was talking, she had picked up a wrench from Tai's worktable and was tossing it up and down. Suddenly, she turned and threw it a Tai. Without a second's hesitation, Tai ignited a flame in his hand and sliced through the wrench. The two pieces fell to the floor. Ayama nodded her approval. "Very good, young grasshopper," she said smiling. Tai sighed. "That was my best wrench."


	7. Chapter 7: More politicking

Disclaimer: My brother came up with Ong, Tai, and as far as I know, hog monkey soup. I came up with Anzensei. That's it. Happy?

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Part 7

Tai was awakened by knocking on his door. He struggled out of bed, threw on some clothes and hobbled over to the door. It was answered by a nervous Earth Kingdom soldier.

"Sir?"

"Yes?" said Tai.

"General Ong wants to see you. He said it's important."

"Of course it is." The soldier bowed and hurried down the hall, perhaps a little faster than was necessary. Tai straightened his uniform. Much more important than whatever errant nonsense he was working on. Or sleep.

General Ong was the overseer of Anzensei, the Earth Kingdom fortress where Tai was stationed. He had made it clear from day one that he thought Tai was "putting to much faith in machines" and that he would "get what was coming to him." Tai had responded with as much politeness as he could muster, that he was just trying to contribute to the war effort as best he could. The old man had responded by giving him a lecture on how his natural recklessness would ensure that he would "get what was coming to him." He really liked that phrase, Tai thought as he ambled uneasily down the corridor leading to Ong's office. The guards searched him, and he proceeded into the general's chamber.

The old man was seated behind his huge desk, buried in paperwork and surrounded by bustling subordinates. All that was visible was his bald old head, poking like a turtle duck out of the mounds of parchment. He seemed to be doing several different tasks at once, including eating his breakfast, a bowl of hog monkey soup. If there was anything Tai respected about him, it was his efficiency. He could make ridiculous decisions in record time.

It was a few minutes before Ong noticed Tai. He stopped working abruptly.

"So, ye finally crawled out o' yer warm ickle bed, eh, soldier? Eh?" the old general croaked, peering down his long nose at the engineer. He had given Tai the rank of major, for reasons known only to himself. He saluted.

Tai returned the formality. "Yes, general. You called?"

"Mmm, indeed. I, eh, I want you to stay out of the way for the next few days. There's a rich, ah, bunch of merchants coming here in a few, eh, days. They'll be looking to get a piece of the, eh, pie, see? And I don't need them to know the brains behind this, erm, outfit is a firebender, y'unerstand?" the general winked conspiratorially at him. "Not that I approve of this, erm, machines business."

Tai sighed. More politicking.

* * *

Notes from Me: And there we have it! The first appearance of the one, the only, General "Talks Like A Scotsman Or Is that Sergeant Lingo?" Ong! LOL and all that. I bet you can't wait to find out who our next guest star will be... Once again, I is evil. 


	8. Chapter 8: The Exam

Disclaimer: I do not own a house. I do not own a car. I do not own a computer. Therefore I think we can reasonably conclude that I do not own Avatar. However, there are always annoying people who insist on having it spelled out for them. This is for them.

I, Insert Name Here III, do not, and have never owned Avatar, the Last Airbender, or any characters from that show. I, Insert Name Here III, do not claim ownership to any of the settings, characters, or Kataang/Zutara/Tokka, etc. hints that are in said show. I, Insert Name Here III, do however lay claim to all the characters mentioned by name in this Chapter, excluding General Ong who is claimed by my brother, Fill in the Blank, Duke of Flapwazzle.

That good enough for ya?

* * *

Part 8

"All right, girlies," Ayama said to her class, hands on her hips. "Today's the day. Today we learn if spending all of my valuable time on you was worth it. Today is your _exam_." Aya looked at each of her students in turn. Tiya was nervously playing with her hair. Aya had high hopes for her. She was good at what she did and followed directions, but had the sense to know when following her instincts was a better course. Niuma was trying to look confident and macho, but failing miserably. Aya sighed inwardly when she remembered all the times he had failed on the course. He had a fair amount of skill, but he hated following orders. He had already ruined two training exercises because of his stubbornness. Ranju was, as usual, calm and collected. The 16-year old was the best in the group. He never lost his cool. He was also quickly overcoming his doubts about Tai, and had even started talking to the engineer about his ideas for the tanks. Ayama turned her head to Kicho. He was pretty good, not great, but good. His main talent was investigation. He had already been offered a job working for the Dai Li in Ba Sing Se. Aya turned to her last student, Junai. Jun had progressed very well too. Aya wouldn't have minded the girl covering her back on a mission. But enough reminiscing. It was time to test the pupils. Aya jogged over to a giant sheet and pulled it off. Junai and Tiya gasped. Under the sheet were five, sleek, brand-new tanks.

"Are those… ours?" Kicho asked hesitantly. Aya grinned. She looked like a cat gator.

"Not yet. Any of you who pass and decide to continue working here get to keep one. No one else gets to use it. Unless Ongy says you have to let them." Aya gestured to the far wall. "All righty boys! Send 'em in!" Six tanks rolled into the arena. Five of them were battered and old, and one was brand-new. A grin slowly spread across Ranju's face.

"Wait, let me guess. Aya gets the new tank, we get the old ones, and we have to take her down. Am I right?" Aya nodded, still smiling.

"That's right. Well, actually, I doubt any of you could beat me. Just do your best, and then I'll evaluate your performance."

"Are you serious?" Niuma yelled. "This is so unfair! We're going to lose!" Aya snapped around to glare at him.

"This is exactly why I asked for you to be transferred from my group. That is not the right attitude. That attitude destroys morale, and that-,"

"-is deadly," said General Ong, striding through the doors. Aya saluted crisply. The general returned the salute. Then he turned on Niuma.

"Boy, it is a proven fact the morale of the men affects their success in battle. My own father was sent on a so-called impossible mission. But he and his team knew they could succeed. They did and they all made it home. I suggest you listen to your teacher. I hired her for a reason. If I had wanted a bunch of mamma's boys for soldiers, I would have gone down to the nursery and picked some myself. Is that absolutely, crystalline clear, laddy?" Niuma mumbled something.

Aya continued to glare. "General Ong asked you a question, soldier! I suggest you answer in an intelligible manner!" Niuma looked up from his boots and answered haughtily.

"It tells me that fear has no place among your men, sir." Ong nodded.

"That is, eh, correct. Now, for the reason I'm here. A bunch, eh, of merchants are here, and I want you to put on a, erm, good show for them. Your salaries might, ah, depend on it." Ong saluted once more and left.

The students looked around for Aya, but she was already at her tank. Before she disappeared down the hatch, she yelled to the group. "Your exam begins NOW!"


	9. Chapter 9: Mystery girl

Disclaimer: Me not own Avatar. Hulk angry. Hulk SMASH!

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Part 9

Tai didn't often get angry. Though like all firebenders he had flame burning in his soul, in him it manifested itself as a single-minded concentration. He didn't waste energy over the problem itself, he found a solution. And in this case, his solution to was to shut himself in his room and bury himself in his work. Which wasn't too far removed from his normal routine.

He was working on the tread system of the tank when he heard a loud thump. He turned and saw a figure in his doorway. This was an especially interesting development because the door, a large stone affair, had been shut and securely locked before it had disappeared in a cloud of dust.

The figure strode into the room. It revealed itself to be a short girl dressed in opulent robes. Her black hair was drawn up into an enormous bun. Her skin was pale, but not as pale as her eyes, which were strangely colorless. Tai realized she was blind. She was completely covered in dust.

She went over to suspension assembly and began to run her hands over it.

Tai didn't know what to do, so he did nothing, except to stare with his mouth hanging slightly open. The stranger didn't seem to even have noticed him.

"Well? Aren't you going to _say_ anything? I just broke down your door and barged into your room. Are you blind or something?" the girl burst out.

Tai shook himself out of his trance. "I, um, I think I'm at a loss for words."

The girl scowled. "That doesn't help me much, does it, grease monkey? I had a line all made up and now I can't use it. It was, 'What's all this?'"

Tai hesitated. Had she just called him a "grease monkey"?

"'What's all this?' I don't think I get-"he began.

"Never mind that. Get over here. What is this?" she said, indicating the pistons lying on the floor.

Tai sighed. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Notes from me: Our second guest star, brought to you by the Duke of Flapwazzle a.k.a. my big bro. If you still don't get who that was, there is no hope for you. You might as well go watch Step by Step or whatever. Avatar is not your thing.

(Excludes those who haven't seen the second season, but if you haven't, why are you reading this? Go watch the thing!)


	10. Chapter 10: Smarter than you thought

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, and I have nothing funny to say today. I have let you down, and I am sorry. :(

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Part 10 

Ayama climbed out of her tank. It had been a long day. She had spent four straight hours on the exam. It had taken her that long to beat Ranju and Tiya. Aya couldn't help smiling when she remembered some of the maneuvers they had pulled. The others had gone down fairly fast. They had all tried to use the old tanks, and they had worked separately. But Tiya and Ranju remembered what she had taught them. Keep the element of surprise, and stick together. The duo had run straight to the new tanks, and they worked like a team. Aya had been surprised in spite of herself, but quickly got down to business. The following four hours had been taxing, but also exhilarating. She was going to approve them straight away. They deserved it. The others, well, she would have to think about it.

Aya stretched and looked over at her two tired but happy students. They were talking with General Ong and one of the merchants. Ong was smiling and nodding. He caught Aya's eye and gestured for her to join them.

"This is, eh, Ayama. Taught these two everything they know, and a few other things besides. The best pilot I've, eh, ever seen. Bright, too." The well-dressed merchant bowed.

"I'm Lao Bei Fong. Perhaps you've heard of me?" Aya nodded and bowed in return.

"I'm honored, sir. If you haven't already been on one with General Ong, would you like a tour of the facilities?" He nodded.

"I'm sure that would be lovely. Don't you agree, dear?" he turned to a woman whom Aya assumed was his wife.

"I'm afraid that will have to wait, darling. Toph is missing!" she said frantically. Aya looked puzzled.

"Excuse me, but who's Toph?"

"She's my daughter," Lao answered, almost hysterically. "She's blind and helpless. We need to find her before she hurts herself! General, do you have any idea where she might be?" Ong shook his head and was about to respond when there was a huge boom. The Bei Fongs looked terrified. Aya sprang into action.

"Tiya! You search the kitchens and mess hall. Ranju, take the rec rooms and the library. I'll check the sleeping rooms and officers' quarters. Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong, if you would stay here. Then we won't have to find you once we find your daughter." Aya ran off down the hall.

Aya had a hunch where the girl might be. Wherever that noise had come from, that would be where they found her. No doubt about it. She had sent Tiya and Ranju in the opposite direction because she was pretty sure the noise had come from Tai's room. She didn't want the Bei Fongs knowing about him. Aya was running so fast she almost missed Tai's door. Or at least, what had been his door. Now it was lying in a crumbled heap on the floor. It looked like an earth bender had been through. Helpless my ass, thought Aya as she settled the dust in the room and bended the door back together. A bead of sweat ran down her nose. She needed to work on her earth bending more. This shouldn't be that hard.

Aya slammed open the newly remade doors, crossed her arms and glared. Tai turned around and glared back.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I didn't do this! It was her!" For the first time, Aya noticed the small figure in the corner.

"Are you Toph?" Aya asked.

"What's it to you?" the girl snapped. Aya sighed.

"Look, Toph, I just spent four hours sitting in a tank getting shot at. I am _so_ not in the mood for this."

Toph laughed. It was surprisingly sinister.

"Well, tough. Even if you could earth bend worth a pile of rocks, you can't hurt me. I'm just the helpless little girl, remember? If my parents don't have you arrested, you'll never work in this town again." Aya had started to get mad about the earth bending crack, but then she grinned.

"Well first of all, you're wrong about that. I'm too good at my job to be fired by a pampered little girl." Toph glared and Aya continued.

"And I'm sure your parents would love to know about how you broke into Tai's private quarters and how you've been taking earth bending lessons behind their back." Toph jumped.

"I'm not-" Toph began, but Aya interrupted.

"Then you're figuring it out yourself, but my point is the same. I figure since you were able to break that door, and your parents thought you were helpless, you must be learning earth bending somehow. Was I wrong?"

"No," Toph admitted. "But don't tell them. They'd kill me." Aya put a hand on Toph's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. Let's get you back to your parents." Toph nodded and walked to the door. She stopped on the threshold.

"See ya round, Tai," she called over her shoulder.

"Um, how?" Tai asked.

"I have my ways," she said airily. She continued out the door.

Aya followed, but before she left, she turned to Tai.

"Smarter than you thought huh?"

Tai could only nod in agreement.

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Author's Notes: And now you finally know. The mystery girl was Toph! Hurray! I love Toph... But not like that you perve! 


	11. Chapter 11: Propulsion

Disclaimer: Avatar does not belong to me. Or my imaginary friend. That is all.

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Part 11

The tank was done. After uncounted hours of work, it was done.  
It had four sets of treads, one on each corner of its heavy steel frame. Its rounded outer shell was made of heat-resistant ceramic and iron. Perched atop the bulky vehicle was a rotating firing slide for steam rockets. The outer plates had a system of heat transfer piping to radiate excess heat. Inside, a circular slab of stone provided footing for earth bending.

Tai regarded his creation. He was proud. He had overcome poor materials, incompetent assistants, and hostile bureaucracy to create a machine considerably superior to those that he had given to the Fire Nation. He had designed a propulsion system, based on clockwork, rather than steam, from scratch. And then he had explained the whole thing to a blind preteen who thought a torsion bar was some kind of wrestling move. Not a bad job. Not a bad job at all.

Tai was putting away his tools when he heard someone enter his workshop. He turned and saw it was the general. He turned and saluted.

"General Ong. To what do I owe the honor?"

The wizened old man waved aside Tai's salute.

"At ease, Major. I see you finished that dang, eh, contraption. Well done. Not that I, erm, condone that sort of thing. Or fiddling with the natural cycle of, ahm, nature."

"Sir? The cycle of nature? When have I ever-,"

Ong scowled.

"Haven't you heard, sonny? You've got a new job. You're gonna meet the, eh, Avatar."


	12. Chapter 12: On their way

Disclaimer: Aya in all her cursing angry goodness is mine. Tai in all his annoying annoyingness is my brother's. The soldier is the work of my fevered brain. Ong is the mutated fruit of my brother's genius. That is all. 

Notes from me: I decided to do two parts today cause the first one was short. Lucky you. :)

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Part 12

Ayama was dozing on a bench in the mess when Tai burst in.

"Aya! Aya, wake up!" Aya's eyes fluttered open and she jumped. Then she got down to glaring at Tai.

"In case you hadn't noticed, I was taking a nap."

He waved her complaints aside.

"I know, I know. This is more important. Come on. We can't talk here." He grabbed her hand and practically dragged her down to the Cavern. In the middle sat the new tank. Aya whistled in amazement.

"Well, this is a considerable step up from all the other junk you've got around here. Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?" she said, going over to it. Tai shook his head.

"No. They want me to make some kind of drug to control the Avatar state." Aya turned and raised an eyebrow.

"What's the Avatar state? New country or something?" she asked as she climbed up the side of the hull.

Tai made a few quick adjustments to the tank before answering.

"The Avatar state is a defense mechanism. It makes the Avatar extremely powerful, so powerful that they can move mountains, or start and control volcanic eruptions. But if the Avatar dies in the Avatar state, it breaks the cycle, and there are no more Avatars. You can imagine what that could do to the world now." Aya nodded. The Avatars were needed to keep the balance. Without them, the Fire Nation would completely take over. And Aya had seen what the Fire Nation had done to innocents, to children. She still had nightmares about it.

"So," she asked, "what does this have to do with your job? Or mine?"

"They have him, the Avatar, up at General Fong's fortress, and they're trying to trigger the Avatar state," Tai said. "But they can't do it. No matter what they try. So they want me to do something." Aya listened carefully and then interrupted.

"So, like I said, what does this have to do with you? You make machinery. It's not like you can just make some kind of 'magic potion' that triggers but controls the Avatar state. It's probably impossible." Tai sighed and slid slowly to the floor, his head leaning against the side of his new creation.

"That's not it. I… know a bit about medicine, that's why they picked me. And they don't want me staying in one place for too long…But, something like this, I can't even start to think of a way to do it. There are… I don't know, spiritual factors as well as biological ones. Maybe if I meet him…But still, no one has ever even remotely touched on this. Back then, they knew when to leave nature alone. Now it has to be poked and prodded and I don't want to do it."

Aya jumped down and sat next to him.

"Then tell Ong that," she said. "He thinks the same thing. Maybe he'll let you off." Tai shook his head.

"I don't think he can. He's under direct orders from the Earth King. At least, the Earth King signed the document. I can't loose my job Aya. Then I would have to go back to the Fire Nation and as far as they're concerned, I'm an outcast, just like Zuko."

Aya looked shocked.

"Zuko? As in Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation? How do you know him?"

Tai looked uncomfortable.

"Why do you think I know him? I didn't say I knew him! I just said his name!"

"Fine," Aya said angrily. "Whatever. It's not like we're friends. It's not like you can trust me."

"Aya," Tai said, clearly upset. "Don't do this. You know that's not it. Come on!"

"I said whatever. Just shut up." Aya started walking toward the door. Before she could exit, a nervous private entered the room.

"Excuse me, um, are you Sergeant Ayama?" he asked tentatively. "I have a message for you from General Ong." He had every right to be anxious, with the murderous way Aya was looking at him.

"Yeah?" she growled.

"Um, General Ong says that you, uh, have to accompany Major Tai to General Fong's fortress. He, uh, also said that you, um, have to get to know the Water Tribe kids, a brother and a sister, that the Avatar is traveling with because uh, you are about their age, and you are more approachable than Major Tai." He paused for a moment and turned to the fire bender.

"Sorry, sir, but that's what he said."

Tai grinned.

"I understand. Please continue."

"Yes sir," he said. He turned back to Aya.

"And, um, you have to, ah, wait a second, oh yeah. You're supposed to report your findings to Major Tai. That's all General Ong said sir, I mean ma'am."

Aya acknowledged his prolonged speech with a vague hand gesture, which might or might not have been rude. Then she left the room. Tai and the private could hear her progressing down the hall, cursing and shouting all the way.

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More notes from me: There will be more about Tai's past later, and I'm sure you all can't wait! And maybe a romance in the works for Aya?... You'll have to read the next few chapters to find out! (I love cliff hangers!! XD, Tee hee, and all that)

Aya15


	13. Chapter 13: The Avatar

Disclaimer: I can finally say that I do not own Aang. I believe it is fairly obvious that the only reason I would say this is if Aang appeared in this chapter, but I wouldn't want to ruin it for those of you who haven't realized it yet. Oops. My fault. Okay.

Avatar does not belong to me. Or my brother. Or my friend's rabbit. Or my dad. That is all.

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Notes from Me: By the way, I have decided to end all of my disclaimers with, 'That is all'. Do not ask me why, cause I don't know. I just felt like it. That is all. Tee hee :)

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Part 13

Tai opened the hatch of the tank and climbed out into the bright sunlight. He hopped down to the ground and stretched.

He had spent the past hours in the cramped turret, wishing he had made it larger. But of course, there was no time for that. He was here, at General Fong's fortress, and now his most important work could begin. Tai was optimistic. He felt he could count on General Fong's support. Apparently Fong had been an enthusiastic proponent of his ideas

He hurried over the wide stone staircase that led up to the fortress's central tower. The soldiers and technicians swarmed over the tanks like scorpion bees from a disturbed hive, checking for damage, unloading cargo, and replacing parts.

Tai ascended the stairs, and after a brief exchange with the guards, was escorted up the spiral stair to Fong's study.

The study was large, about 50 feet long and half as wide. There was a double row of stone pillars leading up the center and green tapestries on the walls. Fong, a large man wearing an impeccably clean uniform, was seated behind a stone desk at the end. He stood up and whipped off a crisp salute.

"Major Tai!" he bellowed. "It is an honor to meet so brilliant a mechanist. I can see that your machines are military tools without peer!"

"Ah, thank you, sir."

"But of course, the reason you came here! The Avatar!" Fong pointed toward the door Tai had just come through.

Tai turned, and the Avatar walked through the door.

He was about Tai's height and age, bald, with a light blue arrow tattooed on his head. His simple, light yellow and rust colored monk's outfit hung loosely around his slight frame. He wore a grin on his face.

"Hi," he said. "My name's Aang. What's yours?"

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More notes from me: And there you have it. The first appearence of the most beloved Avatar in our humble fan fiction. wipes away a tear. I'm so... proud! I'll... be okay... Really...I'm fine. Go about your business.

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On a lighter note: R&R people! We have two reviews and they're both from the same person(Thanks White Innocence)! Since most of you are also authors, I don't think I have to elaborate on how awful this makes my brother and I feel. Not to be rude or anything, but it's really annoying and frustrating. We're working on replying to more stories, but we can't read yours unless you review and then ask. Otherwise we don't know who you are. So if you could do this for us, it would be really nice. Thank you.

Aya


	14. Chapter 14: Boomerangs and Blubber

Disclaimer: Aya is mine. That is all.

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Part 14

Ayama was unpacking in the simple room provided for her when suddenly she heard a thump and a gasp of pain. She whirled around and saw a boy-well, maybe not a boy, but definitely not a man- hopping around on one foot and grasping the other with both hands. The hair on the sides of his head was closely cut, the long hair on top was pulled into a ponytail, and he was dressed in a blue and white tunic, leggings, and brown boots.

"Stupid-!" he yelled. Before he could say anything else, he toppled over and hit his head with a crack.

Aya rolled her eyes and reached down to help him.

"There are less painful ways to get my attention," she said as she pulled him up.

The boy grimaced, then grinned. There was something about that grin that made Aya want to smile too. She followed her instincts.

The boy was talking.

"You're right. I'll try one of those next time. Name's Sokka. My sister Katara and I are right down the hall. We're here with Aang. I mean the Avatar."

Aya nodded. So this was the boy she was supposed to 'get to know'. At least he didn't seem like a complete idiot. And he was pretty cute. Not that she cared about that kind of thing.

"Call me Aya," she said. "I'm here with my friend, Major Tai. He was recruited to find some kind of drug to get your friend into the Avatar state. I'm just along for the ride. It's been an interesting one."

Sokka laughed.

"Same here. Come on, I want you to meet my sister."

He started walking toward the door.

Aya grabbed her token stamped with the Earth Kingdom seal that she had been given when they had arrived. It allowed her to go anywhere on the premises without being challenged by the guards.

She followed Sokka down the hall and out into the sunlight. They went down a few steps, and into the main corridor. As they walked, they talked, and Aya found she enjoyed it. Even though they had known each other for only a few minutes, he seemed determined to make her laugh, and he succeeded many times. Sokka may not have been as smart as Tai, her usual companion, but he was funny, and Aya liked that. Everything and everyone around her seemed so serious, and it was nice to remember there was still some hilarity to be found in stories involving fishhooks and blubber. They walked into the large, open main courtyard. A girl about Aya's age was standing to the side, watching as the general put the Avatar-Aang, Aya remembered-through many tests. Tai was watching from the other side of the field. Aya resolved to make up with the kid. She had been out of line and she knew it. She'd talk to him after dinner.

Sokka poked the girl and she turned around.

"What was that for?" she asked indignantly.

Sokka laughed.

"I want you meet Aya. Aya, this is my sister Katara."

They smiled at each other and turned to watch the action.

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Notes from me: This is going to be the last part I'll post until we get some reviews. I know you people read it, I've seen the stats. Just do us this one favor. Please? 

Aya


	15. Chapter 15: All emotions down the drain

Disclaimer: I think you guys know the drill by now. That is all.

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Notes From Me: Thanks to amythyst and The Zutara Critic you guys have a new part. I'd still like to see more reviews, but I'll keep the parts coming.

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Part 15

Tai regarded the burbling apparatus occupying the desk in front of him. Multicolored liquids flowed through glass tubes, clockwork valves clicked, and pumps whirred him closer to an Avatar State serum.

He reviewed his transcript of his interview with the Avatar, Aang. Apparently the Avatar State was a defensive mechanism, like that present in ordinary humans and animals. It only activated itself in times of extreme stress. Aang had entered it only four times: once, a hundred years ago, to save himself from drowning, once to protect the Water Tribe kids that followed him around, once when he discovered the fate of his fellow Air Nomads at the hands of the Fire Nation, and finally at the North Pole when Admiral Zhao had attacked. All, obviously, times of considerable stress. Tai had asked Aang what the Avatar State felt like. He thought for a while before answering.

"It feels like… fear and anger and sadness and … all your emotions just… go down a drain. It's…hard to describe after that."

Aang had also mentioned that he had entered the Spirit World on numerous occasions, and that Avatar Roku had taken control his body a few times.

Tai didn't know about the spiritual implications, but it was be fairly easy to fool the body into thinking it was in danger and to enter the Avatar State. I wouldn't be a problem for a trained physician like Tai.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," said Tai absently. He turned to face the door, his eyes lingering on the beaker being filled drop by drop with serum.

The door opened and a dark-skinned girl dressed in blue entered. Tai remembered Ayama telling him her name was Katara.

"Hello," said Tai.

"Hi," said Katara. She seemed uncomfortable. "I…"

"Yes?"

"Are you…are you sure this is a good idea? Making a… a drug to bring on the Avatar State?" she blurted out.

"To be honest, no," Tai replied. "I'm not. Desperate times call for desperate measures and all that, but it still doesn't seem like a good idea to me, if for know other reason than the Avatar's vulnerability in that state."

"Oh. What is that?" she asked, pointing at the equipment.

"That's the serum." Tai said. "Have you have seen him…in the Avatar State?"

"Yes…" She glanced down at the floor. "I hate seeing someone I care about like that."

Tai nodded gravely. "I understand."

"Thank you." She walked through the open doorway, leaving Tai alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Once again, thanks to The Zutara Critic and amythyst.

To: The Zutara Critic, I hear you loud and clear, but I'm afraid were not going to be able to do anything about it until about part 23, because we've already written them. But there are some longer ones coming up, and I think some cliffies. There's also some tense bits, cause in case you didn't remember, Tai's a fire bender. That's all I'm going to say on that note however.

Notes From Me: By the way, there will be no romantic envolment between Katara and Tai. I just think it's weird, and I'm too big of a Kataang shipper to let my brother do that. However, there might end up being some Zutara in here, just to keep those shippers happy, but I'll have to talk to my big bro.


	16. Chapter 16: She knew his pain

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. I do not own the Avatar. I do not own crazy head Fong. That is all.

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Part 16

Ayama sat back and surveyed her handiwork. Who said she couldn't do her share of the maintenance? The tanks were now up to even Tai's obsessive standards. She grabbed a rag that was lying on her toolbox and wiped the worst of the oil stains of her face. She stood up and saw Aang standing in the doorway. She smiled and beckoned him in.

"Hi, Aang," she said as she tossed her wrench back into the toolbox. "Did Fong finally give up, or is this just a pause in the glorious proceedings?"

Aang's face fell. "Just a pause. We're going to try again tomorrow. Has Tai gotten any further with the serum?"

Aya grimaced. After she had made up with him, Tai had turned moody because someone had thrown his notes out.

"Not unless he's found his notes in the last few minutes. He was in here fuming about half-an-hour ago."

Aang sighed. "Okay. It's just that-,"

"It's just what?" Aya asked.

He looked startled, as if he hadn't realized he said anything.

"Nothing. I'll see you later Aya." He turned and started through the door.

Aya felt sorry for the kid. Fong had pressured him into doing this. She had suspected at first, but Sokka had confirmed it. He had told her yesterday, when they were sparring. Apparently, Aang had wanted to master the elements, and then tackle the Fire Lord, but Fong had different ideas. He had guilted Aang into doing it his way by showing him all the injured Earth Kingdom soldiers. Aang couldn't bear thinking that if he did nothing, more people would be hurt. So he had agreed.

Aya watched Aang walk out the door. Seeing him in this light finally made her realize something. Fong saw Aang only as a way to win the war, to gain power. Most of the world saw him as a savior, someone to beat up the Fire Lord and restore peace. And Aang was all those things. She could see that. But he was also a 12-year old kid, just like Tai was, just like she had been. Terrible things had been forced upon him, his family stripped from him, and his home pillaged and destroyed by the Fire Nation. And yet he still carried on. No matter what the world did to him, he would keep going. Aya respected him immensely for that, respected him more than any one else in the world. Because she knew his pain, if not so acutely.

"Hey, Aang?" Aya called. He turned.  
"Yeah?"

Aya smiled.

"Want to learn some earth bending?"

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Notes from me: Like it says in the summary, this is _slightly_ AU. The development in this chapter doesn't necessarily mean that Toph isn't Aang's earth bending teacher. It just means that Aya got to him first. Toph is still very much so in the story. Just so you know. 


	17. Chapter 17: So much harm he had done

Disclaimer: I do not own turncoat generals, a.k.a Fong.

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Notes from Me: Sorry it took so long to post a new chapter. I was kinda busy with deiviantArt and my other stories. Hope this makes up for it:)

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Tai was overseeing the unloading of some of the equipment he had brought with him. There really wasn't much for him to do. The engineers he had trained were more than skilled enough to take care of such drudge work. The brighter among them had even come up with some of their own ideas and machines. A few of the ideas even worked.

A little past noon the Water Tribe boy traveling with Aang wandered into the warehouse. He walked up to the tank, regarding it with something approximating a coolly calculating expression on his face. Tai cast about for some way out of the situation, but since no one else seemed to even notice the interloper; he eventually sighed and decided he would have to engage him in conversation.

He walked up to the boy, who had now moved down one of the aisles of equipment and was inspecting a steam-powered drill.

"Hello? Are you looking for something?" Tai asked, somewhat more peevishly than he meant.

Fortunately, the boy took it in stride.

"Yeah. I hear you make weapons. I want one. My name is Sokka." That about summed it up.

Tai grinned, as he often did when conversations turned toward his area of expertise.

"What sort of weapon were you looking for, Mr. Sokka?"

"Something big. Powerful. Something…"-he stroked his chin-"Something expressive of my manliness."

Tai headed down the aisle and motioned for Sokka to follow him.

"I think I have just what you're looking for."

Tai pulled a box down from the rack and handed it to Sokka. He opened it, removed its contents, and stared at them blankly.

"I don't get it," he said after a time. "It's a sword with a bunch of crap stuck on the end."

"But not just any crap." Tai took the sword and adjusted some of the dials dotting the steam engine set in its handle, and pulled the ripcord. The sword chugged into life, its grating whirring soon settling into a mechanical hum as its blade vibrated to fast for the eye to follow.

"I call it the viblade."

Tai pulled an iron ingot out of his pocket, tossed it into the air, and swung, the blade intersecting the lump of metal on its way to the floor. It landed in two pieces. Sokka picked it up, whistling in amazement.

"That's… pretty cool," Sokka admitted. "But does it come… bigger?"

Several hours later, Sokka had turned down buzz saws, steam-rocket launchers, and all manner of devious, spiky chain-type devices in favor of a full-body, steam-powered suit of armor. A small crowd had gathered to watch him be entombed in metal; among them were Aang, Aang's pet lemur, Katara, some soldiers, and, for some reason, a cook from the neighboring village, who was cooking up a batch of noodles. Aya was busy instructing a few of the general's men in what she liked to call, 'Running Over Things 101'. Sokka had asked after her, and it seemed to Tai that his expression and his laid-back pose were overly… unconcerned. But he had no business sticking his nose in other people's affairs.

"All right. That's it." Said Tai, securing the last hatch into place. Sokka's form was completely hidden by now.

"Katara, if you hear a hissing noise, there's either a steam leak or a pygmy puma. Whichever it is, try to remove it before Sokka gets damaged."

"What? Did you say a- this thing LEAKS?!"

"Okay, starting up the boiler…" Tai cut in, over Sokka's protests.

But Tai never got to start up the boiler. Instead, he heard a rumble behind him, and a rather large, heavy rock slammed him against the wall.

Tai's vision began to swim. He tried desperately to squirm out from under the slab of stone. He couldn't die like this, he couldn't. He still had far too much to do, there was so much harm he had done that he had to make up for… His blood was pounding in his head. He could barely breathe. They had gotten the others too, Aang and Katara and Sokka. Funny, thought Tai, his definition of "funny" expanding in the curious manner of those near death. He barely knew the young Avatar and his companions, yet he thought of them like old friends.

But who was it? Had his past finally caught up with him? Was it the Fire Nation? He had to know. He had to see.

He twisted himself painfully around. The last thing he saw, before the darkness claimed him, was the soldiers, joking and laughing just moments before, advancing menacingly, spears leveled.

And a figure, dressed in the billowing robes of an Earth Kingdom general, ordering them forward.

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BUM BUM BUM!!!!!! Mwahahahahahahahaha! You said you wanted cliffies! 


	18. Chapter 18:You will pay for what you did

Disclaimer: I own Ayama. That is all

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A huge boom echoed through the hallways of the fortress. Ayama's head jerked up from the pile of reports a messenger had brought from Anzensei. That was earth bending. She could tell from the sound. And the only reason someone other than herself would be earth bending at this hour was if the fort was under attack. She dropped the reports, slammed out of the doorway and sprinted down the corridor. She didn't get very far. Two soldiers had been waiting for her. She crashed into them at high speed and landed on the ground about two feet away. 

"What's going on?" she yelled, hoping they would know if, and in that case, where the fort was under attack.

The soldiers didn't answer. Instead they grabbed her arms and started marching her away.

"What are you doing, you idiots?" Aya yelled. "I'm on your side! I'm an Earth Kingdom soldier, for Spirit's sake!"

The soldiers refused to speak. Aya tried everything, kicking, biting, wriggling, but nothing made the soldiers release her, or at least tell her what was going on. Earth bending was out of the question. She couldn't move her arms to get into the proper stance. The men dragged her down the hallway and down some stairs. The stairs finally helped Aya figure out where they were going. These stairs led to the prison cells. These soldiers were locking her in the dungeon. And what was worse, the cells were completely covered in metal, so she wouldn't be able to bend. They quick marched her down the corridor between the cells, and finally came to a halt outside the third chamber on the left. There was a crumpled figure inside. Aya took in the messy black hair, the plain brown and green work gear, the oil stains on the deft fingers, and realized she was looking at Tai. The soldiers wrenched open the door and threw her inside. Aya recovered quickly and sprang to the exit, but they were too fast. She grasped the bars in the tiny window of the now-closed door.

"You will pay for what you did to him! Do you hear me? Tell your precious general his days are numbered!"

But her brave front was just that. A front. For the first time in the 8 years since she had become an orphan, Aya curled up and cried.

* * *

Notes from Me: There's going to be a lot of hinting about Aya's past in the next couple chapters, so be ready. If anyone wants more info than I put in the chapters, just review, ask, and I'll send you more background info. Call it a premium service. And as for Tai, I'll have to talk to my brother about it. He'll probably let me o it, but I'll have to check. 

Aya


	19. Chapter 19: You have to be taken apart

Discalimer: I do not own Avatar. I also believe that I have run out of all possible funny things to say. That is all.

* * *

It was Tai's birthday. He was sitting on his mother's lap, surrounded by family. His father handed him a gaudily wrapped box. 

Tai eagerly tore at the shiny paper, pulled at the ribbon, and removed the box's contents. The gift was an exquisite clockwork turtleduck.

Tai's fingers wound up the key, and the brass animal began to vibrate. But instead of waddling humorously around his palm, the turtle duck grew too ridiculous proportions as the party faded into darkness, and Tai was left alone with the strange automaton, on a dark, strange plain, covered with storm clouds.

Tai attempted to conjure fire around his clenched fists, but he found he could no longer fire bend. He looked down at his treacherous hands and saw the small, pudgy digits of a young child. Of course, he thought. He had only been five years old when he received the wind-up beast that set him on the path of the machinist.

He looked up at his the turtleduck, only it wasn't a turtleduck anymore. It was a Fire Nation tank. Its spiked wheels flashed menacingly as it advanced toward him, and cruel, scalpel-sharp blades projected crazily from springs and hydraulic arms poking out from under its haphazardly arranged plates.

The machine spoke in a grating voice like the rhythmic thump of a steam engine, a voice like clashing gears. You have to be taken apart, it said. Tai asked why, and it said so the people he took apart could put back together. Tai said yes, fighting not to cry. He would die so the people he took apart could live.

His creation advanced on him, and Tai whimpered in spite of himself. His head hurt just from looking at those blades. Just like his head hurt from that rock…

Tai woke up.

* * *

Notes from Me: I know you guys want longer chapters, but my brother insistes on writing really short ones to make me stop bugging him. So I guess I'll just double post from now on. And can you do me a favor? In your reviews, can you tell my brother to write a new chap? He absolutely refuses to write anything, and I know that if enough of you review and ask he will. Thanks! 

Aya


	20. Chapter 20: Is anyone there?

Disclaimer: See Part 19 for disclaimer. I'll think of something soon... Maybe...

* * *

After her silent sobs had dried up, Aya took in her surroundings. She and Tai were in a cellblock approximately ten by ten feet. There wasn't much in it, a small pile of straw which Tai currently occupied, a disgusting bucket in the corner Aya did not want to think about, let alone touch, and of course, the door. The ceiling was solid metal, probably iron, as was the door, walls, and floor. There was no dirt or earth to be seen. Except for the bucket, the cell was disturbingly clean. Aya had been in her share of cells, and all of them had been covered in dirt. But of course, that had been in the Fire Nation, where the average drunk couldn't earth bend. The soldiers had confiscated her belt knife and the extra one she kept in her boot. They had also taken Tai's wrench, and the rest of the metal scraps and small projects he kept in his pockets. As far as she could tell, there was no way out except the door. She knew there were two guards outside the door of the cell block. Earlier, before she had been thrown in this disgusting pit, she had taken a tour of the facilities with that turncoat general. He had told her that the guards changed every two hours. The first duo didn't leave until the other had reached the door and exchanged a password.

Suddenly a voice called out.

"Is anyone there?"

Aya darted to the door.

"Katara?" she yelled. The young water bender had sounded scared, but not terrified. Katara was made of sterner stuff than most girls.

"Aya!" Katara yelled back. She started to say something else, but Sokka interrupted her. His voice seemed slightly muffled and tinny.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Aya answered. "Tai's here with me, but he doesn't look too good. What happened?"

Katara replied this time.  
"He was putting some kind of armor on Sokka, and all of a sudden a huge rock pinned him to the wall. Then Fong knocked us out and threw us in here. We just woke up a few minutes ago."

Aya rubbed her temples. She had to sort out her thoughts, figure out all the variables. It was the most important lesson her father had ever taught her.

"Fill me in here. You two are okay right? No major injuries? Any weapons or anything?"

"We're okay," Katara replied. "As for weapons, they took my water pouch away, and all of Sokka's weapons, but they couldn't get the armor off of Sokka, and they missed my-

Sokka interrupted.

"Be quiet! There might be guards."

Aya started to contradict him, but Tai stirred. Actually, he blew chunks all over the floor. It was gross, but at least the kid was alive.

"Welcome back," she said happily.


	21. Chapter 21: Traitor

Disclaimer: Fong is a crazy weirdo. This is not my fault. That is all.

* * *

The first thing Tai did upon waking was throw up. 

The second thing he did was realize he was alive, and not in any immediate danger of being dismembered by a deranged turtleduck/tank/robot. This brightened his mood considerably.

The third thing he did was to realize he was in jail. This had rather the opposite effect.

A feminine silhouette was outlined against the cell door by greasy torchlight. It turned toward him, and Tai realized it was Ayama. Her eyes looked oddly dark; Tai assumed she had put up a fight and gotten a pair of black eyes.

"Welcome back," she said. She seemed relieved to see he was alive.

"Wha- why are we in jail?" Tai mumbled. It was hard to be sure, with his brain in the state it was in, but there seemed to be something… wrong about his superiors hitting him with rocks, especially when he hadn't blown up anything he wasn't supposed to have blown up. Recently.

Ayama scowled.

"That damned general had us all locked up!"

"I gathered that, since he hit me with that big, freakin' rock! But who is all, and why did- why are we in jail?"

"I don't know about the last one, but all is you, me, Katara, and Sokka."

"I know you're kinda busy and everything," Sokka said, a little sarcastically, "But this armor is still on and I really have to go to the bathroom."

Tai groaned. He picked himself up off the ground and inspected his surroundings.

"Okay," he said, half to himself. "This cell is approximately twelve feet by nine feet, covered with, I would guess, a quarter-inch of cast iron plates, with…what…maybe a one-to-forty ratio of carbon to iron, each plate is a nine inch square, riveted to stone…door's the same metal…"-he rapped it with his knuckles-"Solid, one inch thick, two inch by five inch window with two bars, three inch by 10 inch shuttered slat set two inches from the floor. Middling quality, but well maintained."

He knelt down in front of the door, put his ear onto the metal, and tapped on it.

"Lock. Dual-axial, wheel-actuated, four-pin ring cyclic…" He looked at Aya, who had a strange expression on her face. "What?"

"Nothing... But Tai?"

"Yes, Aya?" he asked, slightly annoyed. Why didn't she get to the point?

She grinned. "Maybe after we get out of here you should put some major thought into mastering a few social skills."

Tai was about to respond with a scathing retort when Katara interrupted him.

"What does all that mean Tai?" she asked.

Tai sighed. "It means that we're going nowhere fast unless I can stay conscious for more than five minutes. It means Aya can't earthbend, and I don't have any tools to cut us out of here. And that Aya's lucky I'm not taking offense at that comment. "

Aya's mouth twitched close to something that resembled a grin.

"So…what do we do?" Katara said.

"Yes, I think that's a good question," Sokka yelled.

"Well, where is-"

Tai was cut off by the sound of footsteps in the corridor. The door clanged open and General Fong swept in, flanked by two guards. He seized Tai by the throat and slammed him against the wall.

"Traitor!" the general roared, shaking Tai's slight frame.

Ayama rushed the general, but the two soldiers grabbed her and pinned her arms behind her back.

"Damn you Fong!" Aya screamed. "I'm gonna kill you with my bare hands!"

Fong ignored her and continued to throttle Tai.

"You conspired to keep the Avatar State serum from the army! You have betrayed the entire Earth Kingdom!"

"I-did-what-I-had to!" Tai choked out. "General-we can't risk the Avatar! If he dies-the next one won't come of age until it's too late!"

The general scowled.

"This war won't be won by some glowing monk! It will be won by the men and women of the Earth Kingdom military! It will be won by science!"

Fong dropped Tai to the floor, where he lay coughing.

"And I will use the tools given me to save this nation, even if they be delivered to me by the hands of a traitor."

The guards shoved Aya to the floor, and followed Fong out of the cell.

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Notes from Me: I thought this one was pretty cool, how about you? Just as a heads-up, the next part will be the last until my brother starts writing again (cause we're out of parts to post, and my brother's being a retard), which will only happen if he gets some reviews. Sorry, that's just the way it is.

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	22. Chapter 22: The truth comes out

Disclaimer: I miss Avatar! Whaaaaaaaaaa! (cries) But I don't own it. Just Aya.

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Aya pounded the door with her fists. 

"I'm gonna kill him. I swear Tai. But that's not all I'm gonna do. I'm gonna embarrass the hell out of him, then I'm gonna kill him. He'll have nothing left by the time I'm done."

Tai looked up from where he had been lying on the floor.

"Are you going to kill him if it's the last thing you do?"

Aya grinned.

"Why would I do that? You won't be able to get rid of me that easily."

"That's good," Sokka said. "Cause we're going to need you to get out of here. Tai, you got a plan yet?"

"No, Sokka. I have absolutely no plan," Tai snapped. "Of course I have a plan!"

"Well then," Sokka retorted, "Why don't you enlighten us with the details?"

"Will you two stop fighting?" Katara yelled. "We're never going to get out of here if you don't stop trying to outdo each other with sarcasm!"

"What are you talking about?" Sokka yelled back. "It's the little pipsqueak who started it I-,"

"_I_ started it?" Tai shouted. "And remember, boomerang guy, I made that armor you're wearing! For all you know I built a bomb into it!"

Aya had been silently waiting for the screaming fit to end, but she was getting sick of it. She took a huge breath.

"WILL YOU ALL SHUT UP?"

If there had been any cricket birds in the area, they would have chirped.

"Thank you," Aya said calmly. "Now, Tai, if you would explain the plan?"

"Yeah, sure," Tai said nervously, as if afraid to set her off again. "Um, okay, basically, I melt out the lock in our cell, then we find the keys to Katara and Sokka's cell, or melt it too, I suppose. Then we start up the armor and bust this place up until we find Aang."

"Melt?" Sokka said mockingly. "That is a great plan. Maybe you forgot Tai. They took all your stuff!"

"I don't need any 'stuff' to fire bend, genius."

There was a pregnant silence.

Katara gasped.

"What did you just say?" Sokka hissed. "You're a firebender?"

"Yes," said Tai apprehensively. "Didn't you-,"

"YOU'RE A FIREBENDER?! YOU LITTLE SH-,"

Sokka never got to finish his sentence, because the guards chose that moment to burst in, start yelling, and inform them all (rather uncreatively, in Aya's opinion) that if they weren't quiet, there would be trouble.

There was an uncomfortable silence after their departure. Aya didn't know about the others, but she was torn. She knew she should defend Tai, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything. She knew about the duo's past, and she had to respect it. It would be hypocritical not to.

She eventually decided to break the silence.

"We have to-,"

"We don't have to do anything," Sokka said angrily. "Katara and I are getting out of here ourselves. We don't need help from you!"

"Just ignore him." Katara said to Aya. She whispered something to Sokka, and he yelled angrily.

"That's not the same Katara! And Aang didn't try to hide it from us!"

Tai flushed red and started to shout back, but Aya clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Sokka? Katara?" she called. No one answered, but she went on anyway. "Look, I know how hard this must be for you, but this isn't about what was or wasn't said. This is about getting out of here with Aang and stopping the Fire Lord."

There was a long pause, then Sokka sighed.

"You're right. Let's get out of here."

Tai thought for a second. "When did the guards change last?"

"About an hour and a half ago," Aya answered. "After Fong left."

"Okay," Tai said. "So that means we've got about 35 minutes, give or take, to get out of the cell block. We want to leave as soon as the old set of guards has left. That way we have about 2 hours to do our job before someone triggers the alarm. That's assuming we don't want to do it ourselves."

"Right," Aya said. "Let's get down to business."

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Notes from Me: Same deal as the last couple chapters, if you don't remember, go back and look. Hope you enjoyed it! 


	23. Chapter 23: Let’s roll

Disclaimer: I can't rememeber who is in this part, so you can draw your own conclusions. That is all.

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Notes From Me: Sorry this took so long to update, especially since my brother finished it a while ago, but I kinda forgot about posting. So sorry. Hope it makes up for it...

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Tai was not a master firebender by any means, but he had honed his gift for use in novel ways. Melting metal at close range was his specialty. It took him less then 3 minutes to liquefy the lock. 

Once out, they located the keys on a shelf by the door, so freeing Sokka and Katara took even less time. Tai used a file he found in the cargo locker on the back of Sokka's armor to cut the chains binding the inert contraption, earning him a muffled grunt of appreciation from the occupant. He then pulled the ripcord, and the mass of metal roared to life. This prompted the guards to burst in. Seconds later, Sokka's steam-powered fist prompted them to burst back out, bounce off the far wall and come to rest sprawled in the middle of the chamber, groaning.

Sokka whistled.

"Awesome."

Tai grinned. He always loved it when his inventions worked right the first time.

"Okay," Aya said, stepping delicately over the prostrate guards, "We've got an Avatar to rescue."

Katara removed the guards' canteens, and they set off down the corridor, glancing nervously down the halls for other soldiers. Tai lit the way with a ball of fire conjured around his fist. Sokka started to say something, but Katara shushed him.

Sprinting down another dark corridor, they turned a corner and encountered a gaggle of surprised soldiers. Sokka didn't even slow down, instead simply plowing through the men, scattering them like bowling pins.

Those who picked themselves back up were quickly dispatched by the rest of the group. Tai winced in pain as he drove his fist into one man's temple. He felt almost naked without the steel gauntlets he customarily wore. He had nearly forgotten that punching someone could be as painful for the puncher as the punched.

Sokka hauled one of the unfortunates upright by the neck of his military cloak and shook him roughly.

"Where is the Avatar?" he bellowed, his tinny voice carrying even over the chuffing of his armor's steam engine.

"I, I, I d-don't know." The guard gibbered. "Please! I like the A-Avatar. I like his little m-monk robe. V-very st-stylish. I l-like you too Muh-Muh-Mr. Fire Demon."

Ayama elbowed her way past Sokka. You may be wondering how she "elbowed" metal; if you are, you have never seen Ayama's elbows. Sokka winced.

"Soldier," Aya yelled, "I don't know what kind of ostrich-horse dung that bastard Fong filled your miserable excuse for a brain with, but I doubt it escaped even _your_ notice that he has attacked the Avatar! It is your duty as an Earth Kingdom soldier to stop him!"

The tone of iron command in Ayama's voice penetrated the soldier's abject terror. He came to attention, or at as close as it is possible to come to attention when dangling three feet off the ground.

"He's in the laboratory sir! Err… ma'am! He's giving the Avatar m-medicine-,"

"A drug?" interrupted Tai.

"Y-yes. The Avatar serum-"

Sokka unceremoniously dropped the man, ending his halting speech.

"Okay." Sokka said. "'Avatar.' 'Drugs.' 'Laboratory.' Let's roll."

He turned and pounded off down the hallway, followed by the rest of the group. They rounded another corner and found another squad of soldiers, this time advancing menacingly with spears lowered. Behinds them, an earthbender scooped a handful of stone out of the wall and rolled it between his hands, his maliciously glinting eyes promising a world of hurt. The group was acutely aware that they were trapped underground with men who wielded the crushing power of the earth.

"This may not be as easy as I made it sound," Sokka murmured.

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More Notes From Me: Yeah. Lots o' tension. And badness. Anyhoo, I'm working on the next part, but I have a lot of other fan fics I've neglected, so it might be a while. Hang in there fans! (Not that we have any...) 


	24. Chapter 24: It's My Specialty

I'm baaack! After a very long hiatus, which I'll admit was mostly my fault, The Forge is back up and running! And I swear, we'll be done with this stupid Fong story arc and move on soon. If it's boring me, it's gotta be hell for you guys. So I'll talk to the boss and tell him to get a move on. Until then, enjoy!

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Disclaimer: I do solemnly swear that Avatar does not belong to me, nor my brother. But Aya and Tai belong to us. Yup. That's about it.

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Part 24

Aya once again shoved Sokka aside. Tai made a move to grab her arm, but she held up her hand and shook her head ever so slightly. The regular soldiers had stopped moving momentarily, due to the fact that they had accompanied Aya from Anzensei and knew the stories that circulated about this particular sergeant. However, the earth bender showed no fear and kept moving.

"Do you really think you can stop me, little girl?" he snarled, digging his hand into the wall.

Aya shrugged. "Maybe," she said, still calm, showing no signs of resistance. Then her eyes hardened and a malicious grin spread across her face. "But I _know_ I can beat the crap out of you."

With a snarl, the earth bender slammed down his foot. The earth split, the fissure moving like lightning to where Aya stood. Moving just as quickly, Aya bent the rock beneath her feet out of the ground to hover six inches off the ground. The split was forced to stop its progress and Aya back-flipped off the boulder and shoved it towards the huddled group of soldiers. They all ducked and it zoomed past, but Sokka and Tai had seen their chance and followed after it, slamming into the unit just as they straightened up.

As the boys dispatched the soldiers, Aya and Katara were throwing everything they had at the earth bender.

"Katara!" Aya barked as she slammed her fist into the man's stomach. "Ice 'im up!"

"Got it!" Katara called. In one smooth motion, she drew water from the canteen, and before the earth bender could react, he was dripping.

"Are you serious?" he laughed. "That's the best you can do?"

Katara grinned, and then blew in his direction. Aya was surprised to see and feel the air coming from Katara's mouth was cold. Within second the man was completely frozen.  
Aya was impressed. "Nice one Katara."

The girl smiled. "It's my specialty."

Suddenly, a scream pierced the silence, followed by a roaring sound. Aya didn't know what had made the noises, but someone was definitely in trouble. She hoped it was Fong.

Tai led the way through the fortress as more screams echoed through the halls.

As they ran, they passed countless guards running in the opposite direction. No one tried to stop them, for which Aya was grateful. She didn't want to waste any more time.

"Aya!" Tai shouted from up ahead. "Which way?" He was standing at a crossing of three tunnels.

Aya skidded to a halt next to him. "What? How should I know? You're the one who was working down here!"

"Guys, this is no time to argue!" Katara yelled. "Just pick a way and go!"

"No!" Tai yelled. "Then if we got the wrong tunnel we'd have to backtrack and Aang could be dead by then!"

A look of shock spread across Katara's face. Obviously she hadn't had time to think on who's screams those might be.

"Okay," Aya said, taking a deep breath. "I've been practicing something. It doesn't always work, and I have to have absolute concentration. That means no talking, no moving, and preferably, no breathing. Got it?"

Everyone nodded, and Aya eased her feet into her stance.

"Oh…kay…" she breathed, then shut her eyes.

The idea for this technique had started from Toph, the blind merchant's daughter who'd gotten lost at Anzensei. Aya had wondered after the girl had left how she was able to see. She clearly had no trouble getting around, so there had to be something. So she'd bullied Tai into digging some scrolls out of the library for her on earth bending. In them, she'd found a story of a blind earth bender, who had used the vibrations in the earth to 'see', sometimes sensing things up to two miles away. Aya had no way of knowing that she'd examined a copy of a scroll Toph had found as a young girl (translated into finger patterns, of course).

Shapes began to form in Aya's mind. There were men running down the tunnel to the east, but that was all. To the north there was nothing of importance. And to the north-east… that was it.

Her eyes burst open and she started to run.

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So, there we have it! Hopefully Part 25 will be up soon!

Aya


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